Marrying a French citizen. Departure and wedding arrangements

Marrying a citizen of France

Getting married in France is a dream for many girls. But not everyone knows that this requires going through a rather complicated process. First, you need to decide where the marriage will take place: in Belarus or in France, and collect the appropriate documents for the marriage.

The marriage procedure in Belarus

1. You need to contact the Belarusian registry office at the place of residence of the Belarusian bride and find out the list of documents required for registering a marriage with a French citizen. Remember that all French documents to be submitted to the registry office must have an apostille, which is issued in France at the courts.
2. Prepare and submit the following documents to the French Embassy:
   1. On the part of the French groom:
      • a form with a photo, filled out in French, with date and signature;
      • a certified copy of the birth certificate issued less than 3 months ago;
      • a certificate of residence issued by the French mayor's office;
      • photocopies of the French citizenship and identity document and passport.
   2. On the part of the Belarusian bride:
   3. a copy of the birth certificate;
   4. a certificate of marital status issued by the registry office at the place of registration since the age of 18; for divorced persons: a copy of the divorce certificate + a certificate stating that the bride has not been married since the divorce until the present time + in case of different surnames (maiden name and ex-husband's surname), a certificate from the registry office establishing the connection between the surnames.

   All of the above documents must be apostilled at the Ministry of Justice (10, Kollektornaya St., tel. 200-39-19) if notarized copies of documents are provided, or at the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (37A, K. Marx St., tel. 222-26-75) if the documents are provided in original; translated into French by an official translator and certified by a notary.

   5. photocopy of the passport (pages with photo, data in Russian and Belarusian languages and registration stamp);
   6. form (www.ambafrance-by.org) with a photo, filled out in French, with date and signature.

3. After submitting the dossier, the bride and groom may be invited to the consular section for an interview (in accordance with the law 2003-1119 of November 26, 2003).

   The announcement of the upcoming marriage will be published at the Embassy. A request for publication of a similar announcement will be sent to the mayor's office at the groom's place of residence. After 10 working days, the mayor's office will send a certificate of announcement of the upcoming marriage and absence of obstacles to marriage to the Embassy, on the basis of which the Embassy will issue a certificate of eligibility to marry.

   Before submitting documents to the registry office, the certificate of eligibility to marry must be certified by the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus.

4. After registering the marriage in Belarus, a French citizen may, if desired, apply to the Embassy with a copy of the marriage certificate (with apostille, translated into French and notarized) + original, to transfer the entry to the French civil status register and obtain a family book.
5. The procedure for obtaining a long-term visa for the spouse of a French citizen to reside in France is on the following page: www.ambafrance-by.org/Виза-длительного,1697

ATTENTION! Choosing a surname when marrying a Belarusian citizen with a French citizen in Belarus

In order to comply with French legislation, it is recommended to follow the following principles:

1. Brides who have not been married before are recommended to keep their maiden name;
2. Divorced women who retained their ex-husband's surname after the divorce are recommended to return to their maiden name (by registering a change of surname at the registry office) before starting to prepare documents for marriage with a French citizen and not to change it when registering marriage with a French citizen. The certificate of change of surname (with apostille, translation and notarized) must be provided to the Embassy instead of a certificate establishing the connection between different surnames.

Procedure for registering documents for the purpose of marriage in France

1. Consult the French mayor's office regarding the package of documents (concerning the Belarusian bride) necessary for the publication of the announcement and registration of the upcoming marriage. As a rule, the mayor's offices request the following documents: birth certificate, certificate of marital status (for divorced persons: divorce certificate), certification of absence of circumstances precluding marriage (with translation, notarized and apostilled).
2. Dossier of the Belarusian bride necessary for the publication of the announcement of the upcoming marriage:
   1. Prepare the following documents:
      • Birth certificate,
      • A certificate of marital status (for divorced individuals: a divorce certificate + a certificate stating that the bride has not been married since the divorce + a certificate establishing the connection between the maiden name and the ex-husband's surname),

      • A declaration of absence of circumstances precluding marriage (done at a Belarusian notary).

        To affix an apostille at the Ministry of Justice (10 Kollektornaya St., tel.: 200-39-19) or at the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus (37A K. Marx St., tel.: 222 26 75). Have it translated by an official translator, certified by a notary.

   2. Send all these documents to France to the groom.
3. Documents required for a Belarusian bride to obtain a visa from the French groom:
   1. Take the documents to the town hall at your place of residence. The town hall will publish a notice of the upcoming marriage. After 10 days, the town hall will issue an original certificate of publication of the marriage notice and absence of obstacles to marriage.
   2. Obtain the original certificate of publication of the marriage notice and absence of obstacles to marriage from the town hall and attach the following documents:
   • A photocopy of the French nationality certificate or French nationality certificate and passport;
   • An invitation for 3 months;
   • Photocopies of salary statements for the last three months, or a certificate from the tax office;
   • A bank certificate confirming the existence and normal functioning of the account;
   • A photocopy of a document confirming the groom's place of residence in France (lease agreement /notarial deed of property ownership of a house, apartment) + EDF/GDF receipts for the last months (originals + photocopies).
   3. Send the dossier to the Belarusian bride.

List of documents for obtaining a short-term visa for marriage with a French citizen http://www.ambafrance-by.org/Виза,1707